31 July 2023 , 17:43
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The Indianapolis Colts have been known to be a player-friendly organisation who take care of their own, but that does not look to be the case with their star running back Jonathan Taylor.
The Colts running back is currently not in training with the team after they placed a non-football injury designation on him, with the team listing that he has a back injury. However, Taylor has stated that this is not the case, after reportedly requesting a trade ahead of the new season.
Placing Taylor on the list will mean that he could miss out on some of his bonuses, with the team stating he's away due to injury. Taking money away from players and not working with them to find the correct solution has been against their character in recent years, as the Andrew Luck situation proved.
In 2019, franchise quarterback Luck shocked the NFL world when he announced his abrupt retirement - despite having several years left on his contract.
The Colts could have asked for much of Luck's money back with him not set to fulfil his agreement, but the team allowed him to keep the entire $24.8 million (£19.2m). Taylor though, will make just $4 million (£3.11m) this season - way below what he's worth.
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Now going into his fourth season, Taylor can be extended by the team, but it appears that the Colts are unwilling to do so and will play out his rookie contract.
Jonathan Taylor (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)Earlier this offseason, Taylor said, "You just want to be treated fairly. Not even treated fairly. You just want to be appreciated for what you bring to the team."
General manager Chris Ballard had responded: "The market is what the market is. But saying that, like I’ve always told you, you pay good players. You pay guys that are gonna help you win, regardless of the position.
"We think very highly of Jonathan. … We think that’ll play out over time and work out the way it should either way.”
The 24-year-old was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and went on to become one of the best running backs in the league by his second season.
With rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson expected to start some games this year, Indianapolis may need to rely heavily on their running game to reduce pressure on their newcomer. Taylor would be a significant part of that, as they'll hope to work out a deal to get him back on the field with their new starter.